GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons has been pretty quiet for a couple weeks following the controversy that blew up around a video he posted online in which he killed an elephant in Zimbabwe.
As said controversy ignited, he went on the defensive, and certainly did have his supporters, but the comments we’ve received on our coverage indicate that most found the whole thing appalling.
GoDaddy competitors meanwhile, were able to spin the ordeal as a way to attract customers, and contribute to elephant-related charities.
Since his initial round of defense, Parsons has been pretty quiet. He had not tweeted since April 1, at the height of the controversy. Now, he has. It’s not anything related to the issue, but it does seem to indicate that he’s moving on.
@DrBobParsons
Bob ParsonsMan sez after golf I saw pretty woman, fixed her flat tire & we talked til dark. Wife sez Bullshit! U played 36 holes!
19 hours ago via Echofon · powered by @socialditto
GoDaddy never did put out a press release addressing the debacle. Somebody did, however, edit the video pretty heavily, giving it an entirely different feel.
While the video still involves the killing of the elephant, much of the emphasis that was originally on Parsons (including captions about him shooting, and photos of him posing with the carcass) were removed, as were close-ups of villagers wearing GoDadddy hats as they apparently celebrated the slaughter of the elephant, and an oddly-placed use of the AC/DC song Hells Bells.
As GoDaddy tries to move on, it will be interesting to see how the company’s reputation holds up.